Most dogs who went to space didn't make it back. A moment of silence please. But at least they went into orbit they got to wear special suits; here's what they looked like.

Dogs are awesome enough on Earth, and probably even more awesome in space. Too bad the suits they were issued by their Soviet handlers are kind of creepy (and would make it pretty hard to play fetch). As would that whole zero gravity thing. But I imagine hanging out with dog swimming around in the air would be pretty incredible on its own. [Retronaut]

This is a Soviet dog named Laika. In 1957, she became the first canine in space. She was also the first animal to die in orbit.

This is the suit Laika wore in space.

Before Laika made her courageous trek, Cosmonaut dogs like this one tested the waters by going to higher altitudes than animals ever traveled.

This is another dogstraunaut test subject. We should thank him, because without his contribution we probably never would have sent humans into space.